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I like it and would like to give it a whirl in a 1x9 setup. Only thing bothering me is the cable exit. Not so much that it pops out the top, that's fine, but it doesn't look well supported and in every pic it's kind of all over the place, like it's just floating on a flat top and doesn't slip in to a groove or anything.

I think the product is being put out there for people who don't need to shift from the drops, but in particular as a cheaper, and less mud-fouling alternative to cross racers. I don't personally have a use for them as my alternative to integrated levers is bar end shifters. But I don't cyclocross race and avoid mud and such at all costs.

I think that is a great idea. These would be great for a touring or commuting bike, especially with a modest budget. Far less can go wrong with these than an STI too, important if you are in the middle of nowhere on a tour.

SWijland wrote:Check out these very nice brake & shift levers from Retroshift:

In the late 80s (before STI) I mounted an MTB shifter on the bars so that it stuck up along the inner part of the hood. Worked well from the hood or drops... or even from the tops, but then I'd have to move my hand slightly. Even after STI came out I still did it because it worked so damn well. I did the same thing later with modified Paul's Thumbies and DA TT shifters so I could get more gears.

IMO it is a shame they didn't put the shifter in that location... with a mount designed specifically for it, it would work great. If it attached to the bars you could use any levers... or you could build your own levers and attach to the lower part of the hood.

rruff wrote:In the late 80s (before STI) I mounted an MTB shifter on the bars so that it stuck up along the inner part of the hood. Worked well from the hood or drops... or even from the tops, but then I'd have to move my hand slightly. Even after STI came out I still did it because it worked so damn well. I did the same thing later with modified Paul's Thumbies and DA TT shifters so I could get more gears.

IMO it is a shame they didn't put the shifter in that location... with a mount designed specifically for it, it would work great. If it attached to the bars you could use any levers... or you could build your own levers and attach to the lower part of the hood.

No... couldn't do that with off the shelf parts... at least not in a neat way. It would be tough to do that with any mount for that type of shifter.

I considered making some custom mounts and selling them... but then I got some Campy Ergo levers for only $99 (new Veloces) and they really worked better. Couldn't get too excited about something I wouldn't personally use, or really see the benefit for anybody.

This design is not for everyone, if you live in the drops or shifting from the drops is an absolute must for you then just forget it! It won't be the right shifter for you. The system does however have a number of other advantages that on balance will make it the best choice for some.

weaverdcivw - It is hard to see in the shots but it does actually have a slot for the cable end to sit in. I have seen a few run with plastic ends which is not the best choice as it can lead to deterioration of the cable when used with any shifter (Retroshift, STI, Ergo, SRAM etc). With plastic ends the cable can end up kinda wandering off its correct entry position as the end bends. This happens as the individual strands in the housing start to push into the plastic end in a not perfectly uniform fashion. With a proper 4 or 5 mm metal end to match the cable it has not been an issue.

This system was built to be durable not dainty but that said I have a couple of weights for general interest.

System with Dura-Ace 10sp Downtube shifters installed for front and rear: 395System with Dura-Ace 10sp Downtube shifter instaled only for rear: 340

These wights are taken from a few sets and err on the safe side. That said best I found for full system front/rear was 392. Not too shabby I think, putting it between Dura-Ace and Ultegra based on your lists.

I and a couple of others ran this system on road bikes last summer we then had 20 or so test riders on it for cross season in various classes. While I came up with the idea I want to point out (and thank as often as I can) that it has been the test riders who have really designed this based on their beating the crap out of it and then providing feedback.

rruff wrote:No... couldn't do that with off the shelf parts... at least not in a neat way. It would be tough to do that with any mount for that type of shifter.

I considered making some custom mounts and selling them... but then I got some Campy Ergo levers for only $99 (new Veloces) and they really worked better. Couldn't get too excited about something I wouldn't personally use, or really see the benefit for anybody.

Hi rruff, interesting, what do you like about the Campy Ergo levers ... thanks

KLabs wrote:Hi rruff, interesting, what do you like about the Campy Ergo levers ... thanks

The ability to comfortably shift in the drops or hoods. No matter where you attach a bar-end or downtube lever, the excursion is large enough that it requires some uncomfortable movements of your hand at both ends of the range. The MTB lever was better because the range of movement was less. If you could make your own lever that worked like the Sram bar-ends, you could find a good place for it on the inside part of the hoods. That would be slick... but also costly.

Posted a new video that shows system in action. I have had many people still not quite get how the system works, comparing it to a Paul Thumbie (which is a thumb shifter not an STI type ability). I hope this helps and also provides some enjoyment.

I ordered a set for my commuter (a cross bike) , here's what I think so far:

Off road:Compared to my Force shifters (what I had on my cross bike up until recently, more on that later) they're actually a lot nicer to shift when I'm riding singletrack. The shifts are much more quick and precise, but they still have that heavy industrial feel that's my favorite part about the SRAM stuff. There's no problems reaching the shift lever at either of the extremes of the gearing range, and I can cross the entire cassette in one push. Haven't crashed them or run them through mud yet but if I remember I'll update this when I do.

On road:While it would be nice to be able to shift from the drops, I never use the drops on my commuter so I don't really care a whole heck of a lot. To be honest, if I could use these from the drops I'd put them on my road bike. The simplicity is refreshing.

The quality is for the most part pretty good, my only complaint there being that there's some play in the brake lever. However that's a Tektro issue, not something to do with the Retroshift system.

I will say that I have two minor complaints. The first is that for the first few rides, I'd often accidentally put on the front brake while trying to shift up in front. That said I stopped having that issue after the first few rides so it's not really a big deal at all. The other is that the campy-style quick release button on the brake levers doesn't work anymore because of the addition of the shifter mount. This doesn't affect me at all because I run them with mini-v brakes but it might be a problem for someone else.

All in all I'd recommend them 100 percent to anyone who's looking for simpler shifters for a bike where they don't normally shift from the drops. I mentioned before that I used to be running Force shifters on my cross bike. The frame is getting converted to disk brakes at the moment but when I build it back up I'm definitely going with another set of these.